| Pylea | |
|---|---|
| Universe | Buffyverse |
| Notable races | Pyleans (various clans) Drokkens Van-Tals Hellhounds Humans |
| Notable people | Lorne The Groosalugg Landok Numfar |
| Creator | Joss Whedon |
| Genre | Television |
In the fictional universe established by the television series Angel, Pylea is a world in an alternate dimension where demons are the dominant life form and humans are treated as animals to be used as beasts of burden or even food. In fact, the Pylean word for humankind appears to be "cow." It is notable as the home world of the character Lorne, who fled in search of a more peaceful existence elsewhere.
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The laws of metaphysics on Pylea are different from Earth in such a way that the light of its two suns are not harmful to vampires, which are referred to by the natives as "Van-Tal", or informally "drinkers of blood". Van-Tal also differ from earthly vampires in that they have a reflection and they evince an even more demonic visage and personality when they "vamp out." When Angel does so in Pylea, he loses control over his emotions and body.
Pylean demon society is pseudo-medieval and other than the treatment of humans, would seem familiar to most fantasy enthusiasts. It is a realm of swords and sorcery and epic quests, where heroes and champions are expected to prove their worth regularly in perilous circumstances.
A negative aspect of the society is its intense xenophobia, which is marked by the Pylean demons' adverse reaction to mention of details of non-Pylean anatomy (for instance, the fact that other species might keep their hearts in their chest, rather than their buttocks). Hellhounds, which are a danger in Angel's dimension, have been domesticated in this one.
While Pylean society has no concept of music some Pyleans appear to use ritual dance to express deep emotion, as when the character of Numfar (played by series creator Joss Whedon) is told by his mother to do "the dance of joy", "the dance of shame" and "the dance of honor." Pyleans are shown incapacitated by the sound of singing. Lorne can also produce harsh sounds disorienting to many life forms.
Pylean humans are controlled by yoke-like mystical collars. A device controlled by the demonic priests of the realm gave them the ultimate power of potentially slaying all the enslaved "cows" at once, through the medium of said collars. The enslaved were expected to act like animals and were not permitted to speak.
Humans who ran away from their owners, such as Winifred Burkle, were hunted diligently to discourage uprisings. The penalty for this was apparently death, and it was implied that the slaughtered "animal" would be consumed as any other.
At least some of the demons of Pylea are capable of mating with humans, although having "cow blood" was considered a terrible stigma. The Groosalugg, a champion in the mold of Conan the Barbarian, had to strive long and hard to overcome the shame of his human heritage, made all too clear by his handsome looks, which were considered revolting by his world's standards.
The plight of Pylean humans may be improved by the events following the end of Angel's second season, when the priests were deposed and Groosalugg briefly takes the throne. He was later overthrown and replaced by a republican government.
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